Exemplary systems and methods described herein relate to performing image stress analysis, such as for a fuser in an image forming device.
Printers, copiers and other types of image forming devices have become ubiquitous office productivity tools for generating tangible copies of original documents and/or electronic documents. Under normal circumstances, a user sends a print request to the image forming system and then retrieves the formed image. Problems may arise when making copies on a recording medium, such as reaching the end of the useful life of one of the integral parts of the image-forming device, such as a fuser. Dealing with these problems results in lower productivity and additional cost to the user and/or customer.
In related art image-forming devices, a light image of an original to be copied is recorded in the form of an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member. The latent image can subsequently be rendered visible by the application of toner. The visible toner image is in a loose powdered form and can easily be disturbed or destroyed. The toner image can be fixed or fused with the fuser or fuser roll, upon a support, which may be a photosensitive member itself or other support sheet such as plain paper, transparency, specialty coated paper, or the like.
The related art uses thermal energy for fixing toner images onto the support member. When using the fuser to permanently fuse toner material onto a support surface by heat, it is necessary to elevate the temperature of the toner material to a point at which the constituents of the toner material coalesce and become tacky. This heating causes the toner to flow to some extent into the fibers or pores of the support member. Thereafter, as the toner material cools, solidification of the toner material causes the toner material to be firmly bonded to the support.